History of CASA
The Court Appointed Special Advocate program was first established in 1977 by a Seattle judge who was concerned about making decisions on behalf of abused and neglected children without sufficient information to support his decisions. Out of his concern, Judge David Soukup conceived of the idea to use trained advocates to speak for the children in court. The Seattle program was such a success that judges throughout the country have requested CASA organizations for their own jurisdictions. Today, there are more than 970 CASA programs nationwide.
National CASA
The mission of the National Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Association, together with its state and local members, is to support and promote court-appointed volunteer advocacy for abused and neglected children so that they can thrive in safe, permanent homes.
In 1982 the National CASA Association was formed to unify the movement and provide leadership, as well as training and assistance in starting and expanding programs. In 1990, the U.S. Congress passed the Victims of Child Abuse Act, which allocated federal funds to start and expand CASA programs. Today there are more than 900 CASA programs nationwide, with nearly 70,000 women and men speaking up for abused and neglected children as CASA volunteers.
Our Mission
The 29th Judicial District Court Appointed Special Advocate Program is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization that utilizes trained volunteers to advocate for the best interest of abused and neglected children in court. In addition, we actively support community awareness of child abuse and neglect and we promote the belief that every child has a right to grow, develop and thrive in a safe and caring environment.